


In Defence of the Guilty and on Behalf of the Liars

by sparkeythehamster



Series: Shipping Challenge [5]
Category: Garrow's Law
Genre: M/M, One Shot, Period-Typical Homophobia, Referenced Mildly Dubious Consent, drunken conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24902392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkeythehamster/pseuds/sparkeythehamster
Summary: A rewrite of an older fic written in 2015.“Do you really think that man was innocent of sodomy?”William Garrow had not been expecting visitors this evening, least of all the likes of John Silvester. It was not a pleasant surprise, in fact if societal niceties had allowed it, Will would have thrown him from the premises. He had enough on his plate right now without being forced to entertain the man who had led the charge against his client’s innocence earlier that afternoon.
Relationships: William Garrow/Silvester
Series: Shipping Challenge [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787848
Kudos: 1





	In Defence of the Guilty and on Behalf of the Liars

**Author's Note:**

> Part 5 of my Shipping challenge.

“Do you really think that man was innocent of sodomy?”

William Garrow had not been expecting visitors this evening, least of all the likes of John Silvester. It was not a pleasant surprise, in fact if societal niceties had allowed it, Will would have thrown him from the premises. He had enough on his plate right now without being forced to entertain the man who had led the charge against his client’s innocence earlier that afternoon.

Southouse had warned him about meeting with Lady Sarah, and yet he had still jumped at her invitation, catching the first hearse to her hotel without a second thought. It had been an obvious trap. The one thing his friend and mentor had made clear to him was that the one to suffer the most for their indiscretion would be Sarah.

While it was true he felt some attraction to her, and at one time might have entertained the dream of marrying her, that time had passed. He had nothing he could honestly offer to Sarah if this went badly, and she had everything to lose.

Pulling away from his own thoughts, Will focused on the arrogant looking man leaning thoughtfully against his doorframe, an unopened bottle of what looked like an expensive Bordeaux in his hand. Atop the high cheekbones that framed his face, the prosecutor’s grey eyes were scanning the interior of Will’s apartment without subtlety or shame.

Perhaps he could still shut the door on his smug face; but Will had waited too long. Silvester had taken his hesitation as an invitation and merely ducked around him into the unimpressive bedsit.

The space was not remarkable. A simple square living space with a small fireplace tucked into one corner, a single armchair sitting before it. At the very centre of the room was a dull softwood table with three chairs set at either side. His bedroom was as modestly furnished as this one, save the well-worn writing desk by the window where Will had spent many a sleepless night going back over his law books or making note on particularly difficult cases.

“Well this is a pleasant hovel you’ve found yourself” the shorter man commented with a smirk, peering around the corner into the next room with an amused hum. “Took me ages to find the place. I knew you were living somewhat modestly but I never imagined…”

“Is there anything I can do for you Mr Silvester?” Eyes narrowed with suspicion, Will waited. The other barrister had never visited him before, and he had never given Will any reason to think he would. If this was another ploy by Farmer to entrap him into saying something to incriminate either himself or Sarah then he wasn’t going to fall for it.

Silvester hummed, wandering aimlessly back to the main room, and pulling up a chair. “Friendly conversation, that’s all. You know it’s customary to invite your co-workers round for dinner once in a while. You’re the only legal man in the Bailey who hasn’t invited anyone.” He thought about this for a moment, “Or been invited to anyone else’s now that I stop to think about it.”

Setting down the bottle of wine on the table, Silvester looked up at him expectantly. Will ignored him.

“So, this is you inviting yourself round for dinner is it?” Raising an eyebrow Will remained defensive, his body-language tight and guarded.

If Silvester noticed his hostility then he didn’t pay it any mind. “I suppose it is.”

Silence fell as each man waited for the other to break it. A challenge and a game, the same as the ones they played out in the courtroom.

Despite being similar ages, Will knew that he and Silvester couldn’t be more different. The other man looked completely out of place in Will’s tiny home, propped up on a chair that looked ready to give way at any minute. No doubt he lived in some grand gated house on one of the finer London streets. A house decorated with fine art and lined with servants ready to answer to his beck and call. It was obvious to anyone that this was where William Garrow belonged, and that was where John Silvester belonged. And yet, here he was.

“Do I have to get the glasses myself?” Silvester broke the silence, his patience apparently running thinner than usual as he pushed himself back out of the chair and began rummaging around in Will’s cupboards. He’d been searching for less than a minute before withdrawing with a victorious grin, two wine glasses clutched between his fingers. Once he was back at the table he uncorked the bottle and poured a generous helping into each glass, nearly downing his own in a single gulp.

“You didn’t answer my question.” He nudged the wineglass along the table towards the spot where Will was still standing.

Reluctantly Will took up the opposite seat and picked up the glass, only because he was convinced that Silvester would keep pushing it at him until he did. “The one about the case?” He took an exceedingly small sip of the wine, instantly infuriated by how good it was. “I don’t see why the question is relevant.” Shrugging slowly, he had another discrete taste of the exquisite Bordeaux, fighting the urge to check the label. “I won the case. Your client pleaded guilty to perjury. It’s over.”

Perhaps Farmer had sent Silvester in here to pick apart his moral character, find a secret somewhere he could take advantage of in court.

Pouring himself another glass, Silvester let out a rather undignified snort. “Oh, come on Garrow, we all know the man was a sodomite, and…” He slurred a little over the next few words, “…if I knew, then you most definitely knew, I’ve known you long enough to know that.” Looking incredibly pleased with himself, Silvester rewarded himself with another drink. He tutted pleasantly, “Withholding evidence from the court, our dear Judge would not be too happy to hear about that.”

At last they reached the reason Silvester was here. Blackmail.

“I’m afraid I cannot satisfy you with an answer. As Mr Southouse will be able to tell you, no conversation as to the nature of my client’s appetites took place.” He’d covered his bases with that one. Only he and Jones knew what had passed between them, and he doubted the other man would be in a rush to incriminate himself by giving evidence.

He was only half-way through his first glass of wine, and Silvester was already moving onto his third. If this was Silvester trying to get dirt on him then it was a very unusual technique. In Will’s experience the subject being questioned was usually the one encouraged to drink more.

However, the other barrister had gone strangely quiet, examining the contents of his glass with a distant look. “Don’t treat me like an idiot Garrow; you’re always doing that.” He looked annoyed, almost offended as he downed the third glass.

For the first time it occurred to Will as he thought back to Silvester leaning against the frame of his door, that the other man had already been drinking before he’d arrived. Perhaps Farmer hadn’t sent him. He knew Silvester didn’t like him very much, but perhaps he owed the other man a little more credit. Silvester was many things, but he’d never been the sort of man to fabricate evidence or conspire to entrap his opponents.

Pretending to look at the label of the bottle, now no longer interested in the brand, Will set it down a little closer to his left arm, and out of Silvester’s reach.

Sighing, Will massaged his temple between his thumb and forefinger. “I know you’re not an idiot. Proud and arrogant perhaps…”

The other man chuckled, “You’re one to talk.”

The two men stared at one another across the table. Will made one final attempt to detect something suspicious in Silvester’s demeanour, but finding nothing but the curious grey eyes staring back at him, he surrendered. Forced to admit that Farmer wasn’t out to get him tonight.

“The Bailey’s been a lot more fun since you arrived” Silvester told him with a faint smile, “makes each case more of a challenge.”

Unsure whether he was being paid a compliment or not, Will considered the other man before dropping a hesitant: “Thank you?”

It seemed to be the right answer though because Silvester relaxed a little more, no longer reaching for his glass every few seconds. “So?” He’d returned to the question he’d arrived with, clearly he wasn’t going to leave until he had an answer.

Will resigned himself to at least discussing the subject. Drunk or not, Silvester knew as well as he did that he couldn’t actually admit to knowing if his client was truly a sodomite. “Hypothetically speaking?” He offered up a compromise, watching the twitch of a smile appear on the other man’s face.

“Hypothetically speaking” Silvester agreed, repeating the words back.

“Hypothetically speaking if my client was guilty of the act of sodomy. I still believe there is a significant difference between the act when it is consented to and when it is forced upon another man.” It was an odd conversation to be having with Silvester. This was the sort of thing he might have discussed with Mr Southouse or Sarah, not his rival barrister.

“But the law is the law Garrow” Silvester reminded him, almost playfully, “To those inclined to the habit of sodomy the penalty is death.”

“But do you not agree that there is a difference?”

Leaning forward now, the drunken haze gone from his eyes, Silvester shook his head slowly. “You speak of consent like it’s an assumed fact within the law. If a man forces himself upon his wife then he is just enacting his right as a married man, regardless of whether the woman consents.”

This comment caused Will to bristle. Sarah had never mentioned her husband forcing himself upon her, but the thought hit just a little close to home. “That is a right I take issue with.”

“Then we truly are discussing hypotheticals” Silvester told him, “A world where not only men are free to consent with one another, but a world where women to are able to deny their husbands based on the same fact.”

He knew that Silvester was bating him in the same way he always did during their conversations, playing devil’s advocate for the sake of it, regardless of what his own personal opinion might be.

“The law is the law Garrow” Silvester reiterated his statement from earlier.

“Then perhaps the law needs to be changed!” His anger at the injustice of it all cut the words loose before Garrow had a chance to think of a more sophisticated reply.

Across the table Silvester was grinning at him. “I would love to see you yell that in court.” He raised an eyebrow, “Perhaps in this world of yours, you and Lady Sarah wouldn’t be forced to stand before a magistrate in defence of her honour.”

Fixing his gaze sharply on Silvester, Will found himself beginning to tense again. He’d once challenged Silvester to a duel over Lady Sarah’s honour. Will wasn’t about to make that stupid mistake again but punching Silvester in the face and throwing him out of his bedsit was surely still a possibility.

The other man was still waiting for a reply, looking for all the world like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

“What is being set up against me and Lady Sarah is no more real than the wigs we wear to court.” Folding his arms, Will sat back stubbornly, waiting for Silvester’s smart-mouthed reply.

The smaller man only waved his hand dismissively. “I know that Garrow, calm yourself.” Tapping the table, Silvester seemed to lose his thought for a few moments before quickly finding it again. “If this were about you and your impulsive, reckless behaviour then I could believe it. But I happen to know Lady Sarah quite well myself, and I know she’s not the sort to risk everything she has for something so ridiculous.”

Not sure if he was amused or annoyed, Will eyed the other man. “You’re calling _love_ ridiculous?”

There was a just a beat of hesitation before Silvester responded. “No, I’m calling _you_ ridiculous. You aren’t worth ten of her, and we both know it.”

Will would have said he wasn’t worth a hundred of her, but he got Silvester’s point.

“After all,” Silvester added, “even if she does harbour the same obvious feelings you have for her, then she has been far more sensible about how she’s conducted herself. If anybody has made Sir Arthur suspicious it is probably you.” Silvester blinked a large pair of misty eyes at him, waving towards his face in demonstration before breaking the expression with a grin. “Every time Lady Sarah walks into a room, all I need to do is look at your face to know she’s there.”

Garrow felt his face flush; he really had no words for that. He was aware that his eyes naturally drifted to the beautiful woman when she entered, but he wasn’t aware it had created such an impression. He finished off his own glass of wine in an attempt to mask his embarrassment.

“But if it’s _love_.” Silvester watched him closely with a tight smile. “ _When law can do no right, let it be lawful that law bar no wrong: For he that holds his kingdom holds the law_ … or something like that.” Shrugging his shoulders, Silvester’s eyes darted back to the nearly finished wine bottle still sitting by Will’s arm.

Not quite sure why he felt the need to put Silvester right, perhaps it was the second glass of wine he’d just finished, Will shook his head slowly. “We aren’t in love.” He pushed on despite Silvester’s look of dumbfound shock. “Perhaps I imagined myself to be once… but she is still a dear friend, and I don’t wish to see harm done to her.” Tilting his head to one side he examined Silvester’s schooled features as he spoke. “I suppose you’re hoping Sir Arthur wins and ruins me? You would rule the courthouse again.”

The other man’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “Quite the contrary. I told you before, the Bailey was boring before you arrived.” He frowned. “Despite what you think of me. When I’m not the acting prosecutor I do actually want to see the truth come out.”

Garrow couldn’t help but smile in amusement at this. “Then it is unfortunate that you are required to twist the truth in order to represent so many of your clients.”

Returning the smile, Silvester stretched out his shoulders and yawned. “Just as you must take on the defence of the guilty, I must speak on behalf of the liars.” He reached forward. For a moment Will thought he was aiming for the wine, but instead the prosecutor awkwardly patted the top of his hand. “Be careful how many cases you take on like this one. People will talk, and, after all, we’re already a profession of wigs and fancy gowns.” He withdrew his hand with a good-natured chuckle, getting to his feet in order to take a few unsteady steps towards the door.

He was finally leaving; Will knew he should be happy. But he couldn’t help but feel an itch of concern as the other man struck out a hand to catch himself by the door.

Getting to his own feet, Will placed a loose hand over the handle. “It’s late, you can sleep here if you’d like. I have some spare night clothes.” He motioned towards his bedroom, “I can sleep on the chair.”

The other man contemplated his offer for a few moments before a sly grin crept onto his face. “Getting me drunk and inviting me to stay. Well this was not the way I saw this night going.” He didn’t protest though, abandoning his interest in the door as he stumbled back towards the table.

Muttering under his breath that Silvester had been the one who had brought the wine, Will crossed the space in one long stride to take up Silvester’s weight under his own shoulder, worried the man would trip and hurt himself in this state.

“If you throw up on anything then you’re paying to have it cleaned” Will told him firmly, knowing full well that Silvester could afford it.

The prosecutor hummed in agreement. “I’m not going to be sick, just a little dizzy. Wine always does that to me.”

Dropping the other man down onto the bed, Will began going through his cupboard in search of his spare nightshirt. It would be a little big for Silvester’s shorter frame, but it would do for the night. Turning back, he found the other man still sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for Will to return.

“You know I tried it once.” The words were half whispered, half giggled in his ear as he dropped the nightshirt onto the bed, Silvester’s fingers loose on his shirt as he pulled him down to impart this quiet secret in his ear.

Rolling his eyes and getting a little fed up with Silvester’s drunken antics, Will found himself likening taking care of the other man to taking care of a child. “Tried what?”

“Sodomy.”

The words flew down Will’s spine like a jolt of lightning. He gaped at Silvester, almost certain that he must have heard him wrong, but the other man leaned forward and patted him playfully on the cheek.

“See I can tell you because you’re far too nice to ever use it against me.”

He was drunk, clearly far too drunk if he was telling Will things like this.

“I’m afraid I can’t confess to having the same level of trust in you.” Hoping to move the conversation past the shocking admission, Will began fussing with the bedding, painfully aware of the shorter man’s eyes watching his every move.

Letting out a huff, Silvester leaned back slightly, loosening the high collar of his shirt just enough to reveal the fine white trail of his collarbone. Will had to assume he’d done it unknowingly because he showed no reaction to Will’s panicked glance. “Well that’s not very fair is it.” He hummed thoughtfully, “Or maybe it is… I probably wouldn’t trust me either.”

It wasn’t that Will wasn’t interested in women; he very much was. They were such beautiful and delicate creatures, soft and kind, with so much more wisdom than their male counterparts gave them credit for. But, since his teenage years he’d also felt an uncomfortable pull towards men. It wasn’t as strong, so it had been easy to ignore, but… being put in a situation like this, he could feel the muscles in his chest beginning to contract.

He reminded himself very firmly that it was Silvester, the infuriating man who challenged him in the courtroom, the same man who teased him and embarrassed him in front of company. Strangely this didn’t help, if anything Will could feel it making the situation worse.

“I was in my second year at Oxford.” Silvester’s words sounded less slurred now, moving so that he was supporting more of his own weight against the thin mattress. “I still don’t really know what I thought of it. My tutor took an interest in me, and honestly I was kind of flattered by the attention, that and the generous boost to my exam results.”

Will knew it was a bad idea to listen so intensively, especially when the best thing to do would be to stop the story before Silvester went into any more detail. But he was curious, and the other part of him was too busy admiring the other man on his bed to talk any sense into his inquisitive nature.

Silvester continued, seemingly naïve to Will’s controlled interest. “I definitely encouraged him, but I don’t think I really understood how much he wanted in return.”

This statement, however, drew Will out of his trance, the corners of his mouth turning down into a frown. He hated to admit it, but it was all too easy to imagine a younger, eager, and ambitious Silvester innocently encouraging the interests of an older man he thought could help him. How could he not while Silvester was looking up at him with that wide-eyed gaze. Neither of them could feign ignorance anymore. Just as the innocence and guilt of a client was clear to the both of them in court, so was the sharp crackling energy between them now.

Knowing that the more sober of the two of them had to fight it, Will cleared his throat, attempting to distract himself with words as he sat what he hoped was a respectful distance from the other man on the bed. “Your tutor was wrong to expect anything from you, even if you had been encouraging his attention.”

Silvester tilted his head to one side and laughed. “It didn’t traumatise me. It happened once, and it wasn’t as if I was entirely unwilling, he was just more enthusiastic than I was.” Without warning, Silvester rose from his seat just enough to place a chaste kiss against Will’s lips. The touch was fleeting, barely registering in Will’s panicking brain before Silvester was pulling away again. “Just like that. One enthusiastic, the other willing, neither of us the worse off for it.”

His skin still tingled where Silvester had touched it, and it took Will only a few seconds to realise he’d unconsciously placed his hand on the prosecutor’s thigh. Both of them were looking down at it, surprised to find it was there, and equally surprised that having realised this, Will had not yet pulled away.

Then the moment was broken, and Will quickly drew back. “Considering how drunk you are, I’m not sure you’re in a fit position to judge which of us is the willing or enthusiastic.”

Silvester’s whine of frustration did little to sway Will’s resolve as he hurriedly got to his feet, trying to gather the strength he needed to make it from here to the door.

“I’m not as drunk as I look.” Silvester was on his own feet, looking much steadier than he had done earlier. “Besides, I’ve wanted to do that since our first case.” His head was craned back, meeting Will’s stubborn gaze with his own.

Not sure how to respond, Will simply accepted the next kiss that Silvester pressed into him. Once again it only lasted a few moments before the other man drew back, shaking his head.

“I don’t…” his cheeks were tinged a faint pink, “I don’t want my partner to be passive. I don’t want them to simply be willing.” Genuine sober emotion was returning to the smaller man. From his vantage point Will could see the embarrassment on the other man’s face, and he could already see the early signs of panic beginning to set in.

With a single decisive movement, Will hooked his fingers under Silvester’s chin, tilting his head upwards as he claimed his first proper kiss from the other man, fingers angling around the back of Silvester’s neck to deepen the contact.

They broke the kiss for a short breath, eyes meeting to check that the other man’s consent was just as keen as the other’s, before making contact again. Will wasn’t sure which of the two of them directed the movement towards the bed, but he soon found himself pressing Silvester into the springs of the mattress, impatient for the next step.


End file.
